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On Feb. 15, the campus community gathered in Crowell Concert Hall to celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. HON ’64. This year, 2018, also marks the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s death. The commemoration included a keynote address, an audio recording of King’s baccalaureate address at Wesleyan in 1965, songs and a reception at Malcolm X House.

On the 50th anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Wesleyan is celebrating his legacy with several commemorative events focused on the theme “Black Agency: Finding Freedom.”

“Dr. King, of course, spoke on our campus on several occasions and had a profound impact on efforts here to promote equity and inclusion,” wrote Demetrius J. Colvin, director of the Wesleyan Resource Center, in an all-campus email. “I encourage you to take advantage of the powerful programs developed for Black History Month. Students have put a lot of work into these programs, providing us all with the opportunity to engage with core aspects of our history and Dr. King’s living legacy to us all.”

On Feb. 15, Joi Lewis, the CEO and founder of Joi Unlimited Coaching and Consulting and the Orange Method, will deliver the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration speech on “From Hollering to Healing: Black to the Future.”

Theodore Shaw ‘76, Hon. ’14 spoke during Wesleyan’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. commemoration Feb. 3 in Memorial Chapel. “Martin Luther King’s challenge to this country was a radical challenge to racism and segregation and discrimination, and to violence, and to militarism,” Shaw said. “We often forget who Martin Luther King was.”

This February, in honor of Black History Month, Wesleyan is hosting a series of events including a celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; discussions on current black issues and diaspora blackness around the world; a Black History Month formal celebration; a unconventional poetry performance; a black radical protest with a former Black Panther activist; a student of color art show and live performances; and much more.

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration planning committee invites all members of the Wesleyan community to take part in a MLK Commemoration from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. Feb. 3 in Memorial Chapel. A reception will follow in Zelnick Pavilion.

Theodore Shaw ‘76, Hon. ’14 will deliver the keynote address titled “Freedom is a Constant Struggle.” Shaw is the Julius L. Chambers Distinguished Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Civil Rights at the University of North Carolina School of Law at Chapel Hill. Professor Shaw was the fifth Director-Counsel and President of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., for which he worked in various capacities over the span of 26 years.

He received a BA with Honors from Wesleyan in 1976 and was awarded an honorary degree from Wesleyan in 2014. He earned a J.D. from Columbia Law School in 1979, where he was a Charles Evans Hughes Fellow.

On Jan. 29, the campus community attended the annual commemoration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy in Memorial Chapel. Dorceta E. Taylor, a leading voice in the environmental justice movement, delivered the keynote address, titled “Different Shades of Green or Beyond the Farm.”

All members of the Wesleyan community are invited to attend the annual commemoration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy. Dorceta E. Taylor, a leading voice in the environmental justice movement, will deliver the keynote address, titled “Different Shades of Green or Beyond the Farm” at 4:15 p.m. on Jan. 29 in Memorial Chapel. A desert reception will follow.

Taylor is professor, James E. Crowfood Collegiate Chair, and director of diversity, equity and inclusion at the University of Michigan. She is past chair of the environment and technology section of the American Sociological Association.

In addition to the Wesleyan community, Middletown High School students and members of the Middletown community will be in attendance.

The keynote is a ticketed event; tickets are free and available in limited quantities at the University Box Office beginning Jan. 19. Community tickets are available here.

Prior to the keynote, student leaders from the Green Fund, Students of Color community and Eco Facilitators will be holding multiple workshops designed to bring the Green and SOC communities together in sustained dialogue over matters of environmental and social justice, and how change starts here in our surrounding Middletown community. A student-led screening and discussion of the documentary Trouble the Water will be held 7:30–9:30 p.m. on Jan. 27 in PAC 001.

“We shall overcome: How far have we come?” was the theme of Wesleyan’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration held Jan. 30 in Memorial Chapel. Panelists offered various perspectives about the recent events in Ferguson, Mo. and New York City to commemorate the life, civil rights and social justice legacy that Dr. King has left.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke at a College of Social Studies luncheon in 1964 and addressed a student rally later that day. He also delivered the Class of 1964 baccalaureate sermon and received an honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity from Wesleyan.

All members of the Wesleyan and greater Middletown community are invited to a panel presentation and discussion to explore various perspectives about the recent events in Ferguson, Missouri and New York City to commemorate the life, civil rights and social justice legacy that Dr. King has left.

The commemoration will be held in Memorial Chapel at 3:15 p.m., Jan. 30. This is a ticketed, free event. Tickets to the event can be secured at the University Box Office on Jan. 20.

Tim Wise will deliver they keynote address at Wesleyan’s Celebration of the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at 3:15 p.m. Jan. 31.

Anti-racist activist Tim Wise will deliver the keynote address at Wesleyan’s Celebration of the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 31. His talk begins at 3:15 p.m. in Memorial Chapel. A reception and book signing will follow in the Zelnick Pavilion.

Wise is among the most prominent anti-racist writers and educators in the United States. Named one of “25 Visionaries Who are Changing Your World,” by Utne Reader, Wise has spoken in all 50 states, on over 800 college and high school campuses, and to community groups across the nation.

Wise is the author of seven books, including his latest, The Culture of Cruelty:How America’s Elite Demonize the Poor, Valorize the Rich and Jeopardize the Future. He’s appeared on hundreds of radio and television programs, is a regular contributor to discussions about race on CNN, and has been featured on ABC’s 20/20. Read more about Wise here.

Tickets are free and available at the University Box Office in Usdan University Center.

Between 1962 and 1966, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. visited Wesleyan four times. In 1964, he received an honorary degree and delivered the baccalaureate sermon during commencement. Also in honor of MLK celebrations, the Wesleyan community is invited to participate in a community discussion of “Access, Equity and Inclusion: How Are You Living the Dream?” Jan. 27-29. Events include talks on Martin Luther King Jr. at Wesleyan, the Civil Rights Movement at Wesleyan, Race and Religion, Exploring Students of Color Leadership Narratives, a screening of the film Cracking the Code: The System of Racial Inequality, a creative identity workshop, a Civil Rights Landmarks display and more. See the full schedule online here.

The Celebration of the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is sponsored by Academic Affairs, the Department of African American Studies, the Anthropology Department, the Office of Diversity and Institutional Partnerships, the English Department, the Government Department, Human Resources, the Office of Residential Life, the Office of Student Activities and Leadership Development, the Division of Student Affairs and the Wesleyan Student Assembly.

Between 1962 and 1966, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. visited Wesleyan four times. In 1964, he received an honorary degree and delivered the baccalaureate sermon during commencement.

Filmmaker, lecturer and social justice activist Shakti Butler delivered the keynote address at Wesleyan’s Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration on Feb. 1. “Diversity University: From Theory to Practice,” was the theme of this year’s daylong commemoration. Butler is the founder of World Trust Services, a nonprofit organization that produces programs and seminars to create new understandings. (Photo by Gabe Rosenberg ’16)

Butler is a multiracial African-American woman with African, Arawak Indian and Russian-Jewish heritage. She is the producer and director of four groundbreaking documentaries, including “Cracking the Codes: The System of Racial Inequity,” which uses story, theater and music to illuminate the larger frame of structural/systemic racial inequity. Butler showed “Cracking the Codes” during her visit at Wesleyan.

During a workshop led by Shakti Butler, Evan Weber ’13 and Ibironke Otusile ’15 spoke to each other about ways history and culture help identify who they are as individuals.

“You’re born into a system that you didn’t create. To you, you’re living in a world that’s normal,” Butler said. “We need to understand that oppression is a system and it’s our role to create a system in which everyone can survive.” (Photos by Olivia Drake)

For more than a decade Wesleyan has celebrated the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. The celebration has taken various forms including prominent keynote speakers such as Johnetta Cole and Sonia Sanchez to a campus-based program where members of the faculty, staff and students read portions of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Learn more about Shakti Butler and Wesleyan’s annual celebration online here.

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Sunday, 3pm: @wesleyan_u Private Lessons Teacher and harpist Megan Sesma returns to The Russell House with saxophonist Joshua Thomas. Featuring the world premiere of the second movement of Daniel Morel’s “Old Farmer’s Almanac: 1855” for solo harp. FREE! fal.cn/4EO6Retweeted by
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On Feb. 15, the campus community gathered in Crowell Concert Hall to celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. HON ’64. Dr. Joi Lewis delivered the keynote address, “From Hollering to Healing: Black to the Future.” fal.cn/4Eam

“I’m first-generation and low-income, but I’m also a scientist, I’m a musician, I’m Muslim,” says @melisaolgun '20 on her multifaceted identity as a first-gen student. More on how Wesleyan supports first-gen: bit.ly/2EGR5QA#ActivateTalent

Women's Basketball senior captain Maddie Bledsoe ’18 says rebounding is about positioning, luck, and “wanting the ball more than the other team.” She leads the @NESCAC in rebounds per game with 10.8 this season! Read our Q&A with Maddie here: fal.cn/42eN

This Friday, watch Masayo Ishigure stretch the limits of the koto in her performance of "Koto 360." 8pm, Crowell Concert Hall, Friday 2/16! Discounted student tickets are available at the Box Office. @WesCFAfal.cn/42N6